Tropical Sunset in Maui
No one can deny that Maui’s beaches are some of the best in the world, but there’s more to Maui than its coastline. Venturing inland leads to some truly breathtaking scenery that makes this island even more spectacular, and an exhilarating place to explore. Discover why the beach is just the beginning in Maui.
In the inland center of Maui is Iao Valley State Park, home to the landmark 1,200-foot Iao Needle. This towering rock formation juts upward from the valley floor, a ragged peak of brown lava rock that contrasts with the blue skies and lush, deep green vegetation. Hiking trails abound near the Needle that lead to lookout points with stunning views of both the Needle itself and the surrounding scenery.
Ioa Needle Park, Maui
Eastern Maui boasts another spectacular place to explore, Haleakala National Park. Haleakala Crater is the world’s largest dormant volcano, and its 10,000-foot slope is a hiker’s paradise, with trails that lead above the cloud line for an unforgettable experience. The Park’s terrain also makes for an array of microclimates: trails traverse lush valleys, parched deserts, and everything in between – including coastal waterfalls. Haleakala Crater is also regarded as one of the best places to watch a Hawaiian sunrise creep over the horizon, or to end the day with a sunset and stargazing through Maui’s clear skies.
Waimoku Falls
For the true nature lover, Maui’s best offering is the Pipiwai Trail, roughly nine miles from Hana at the edge of Haleakala National Park. This fantastic hike follows the Pipiwai Stream that feeds through the O’heo Gulch, a stunning river valley known for a series of crystal clear ponds that fill craters in the rocks called the Seven Sacred Pools. But as gorgeous as they are, the pools don’t hold a candle to the final payoff of the Pipiwai Trail: Waimoku Falls, Maui’s largest waterfall. Towering 400 feet above the gulch floor, Waimoku cascades down a sheer lava rock wall into a pool filled with boulders. It is a natural spectacle that truly must be seen to be believed, and makes for a breathtaking way to have a break from the beach!
Whether you are considering a Hawaii tour or Hawaii cruise, make sure you spend at least 3 nights in Maui.
Seven Sacred Pools
We are starting to see a significant drop in pricing for select markets, and savvy shoppers can get a long of bang for their buck. Not only are prices lower, but we are seeing a lot of offers including air credits, onboard spending money, complimentary upgrades and shore excursions.
Where are the cruise deals? With the large number of cruise ships in Europe this year, there are some great deals with various cruise lines. Even new ships like the NCL Epic, Oceania Marina, and Celebrity Silhouette are running promos. If you are willing to travel there in the fall or winter, you will find even better deals.
So what are some of the best deals currently available? A cabin on the Celebrity Equinox 10 night Eastern Med cruise this November is just $799 pp. Several sailings throughout the year with Celebrity Cruise Line in the Mediterranean offer $899 to $999 rates. Select sailings also have air credits, ship board credits or up to $100 pp in shore excursion credits. Holland America pricing is along the same line as Celebrity in the Mediterranean from $999 pp for a 12 night sailing, and up to $200 in onboard credits. NCL is offering up to $500 in air credits and children under 12 enjoy free shore excursions in Europe. Premium and luxury cruise lines have excellent offers for Europe as well. Spend a week on the Oceania Marina this November from just $1,949 pp. A twelve night Crystal Cruise in November which is all inclusive of meals, drinks and gratuities is priced from just $3,495 pp.
If you want Caribbean, the week after Thanksgiving and the first week of December, you can book a one week cruise from $599 pp with various cruise lines including popular ships like the Grand Princess, Ruby Princess, Westerdam and Eurodam. A one week Eastern Caribbean cruise on the Carnival Liberty is priced from $379 pp; four nights on the Carnival Imagination out of Miami to the Bahamas is available from $169 pp; Six nights on the Carnival Freedom to the Western Caribbean from $279 pp; A one week Western Caribbean cruise on the NCL Pearl is also from just $399 pp.
The list goes on and on! As long as your travel dates are flexible, there are plenty of deals out there. To secure the best rate we always recommend using a travel agent to help you sort through all the offers and fine print. Some attractive rates for example are non-refundable and cannot be covered by the cruise line’s insurance. Also, some of the best deals also have limited availability or are offered for just a few sailing dates. Some cruise lines run one day sales…24 hours could make a difference in pricing. Remember it doesn’t cost you anything to have a travel agent do the research for you.
